Summer at the Homestead

Hi everyone,

I've spent several weeks witing and adding to this post, and finally decided, I really just need to publish it lols, before its Autumn !

The weather is sill warm here in New Zealand and we have about 3-4 weeks of summer left. I don't enjoy gardening in the heat as much as I enjoy the cooler seasons of Autumn and Spring, so I'm looking forward to Autumn.

Out and About:

This morning I was at the Library and I saw a new cookbook just in by one of my favourite cooks 'Hugh Fernley-Wittingstall'..

I got home, made myself some fresh coffee and sat on the verandah to have a flick through..and I love the book. Its all vegetarian, which I didn't initially realise, not that that matters.  Its all food similar to what I already cook too. So having said all this..it reminded me of a little revelation I had the other week. I noticed that even though I grow so much of our own food (vegetables) my grocery bill still hasn't decreased by that much!!...(not that I'm only growing vergtables to save money, its also because I prefer organic and like to know where my food comes from). I realised I'm not really basing meals purely around whats ready in the garden, but basing meals around meat, and adding the vegetables as side players and salad. If I want to make a saving I ned to do the reverse, make the vegtables the MAIN FEATURE..and not the side.
 I used to be vegetarian for just over three years, but started working fulltime in a childcare centre a few years back and would come home exhausted and starving. All I felt like was a sausage or bacon, and so I sucumbed and have never made it back to those vege days..but I do think finally the winds of change are - a - blowing. :)

 Here's a link to one of Hugh's fabulous vege dishes that I like the look of  from the book - 'Sweet Potato and Peanut Gratin' http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/aug/26/vegetable-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall

I'm sure sweet Pumpkin or Squash could just as easily be substituted :), if you have more of that in the store cupbard. To date I have 9 Pumpkins growing..woo hoo, the best summer ever!. I planted 3 in an old tyre and the others just in the ground and then let them run wild..which they seem to have loved !

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 We had some strong winds a few weeks back, so I was been busy staking up Dahlias, which have grown very tall this year, thanks to the good soaks of rain we've had. Here's pics of two of my favourites in the garden:

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The Summer Garden

It may look like a small potagers garden, but bewtween the four raised beds and the middle garden, there's a huge variety planted: Leeks, Beetroot, Silverbeet, Carrots, Eggplant, Spring Onions, Cabbages, Celery, Lettuce, Corn, Tomates, Zucchini, Peas, Beans and Buttercup pumpkins dotted around here and there in other areas of the property.

 Our Corn, which is just now being harvested..so delicious, with salt and butter...mmm

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'A Self-seeded Skyscraper Sunflower'

A little Dahlia getting ready to open fully :)

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The most exciting thing to happen lately was harvesting the blackcurrants. I planted two bushes last year and read that they only fruit on old wood, so I didn't prune them. We were amply rewarded and the yield was 2 1/2 kilos !!!! (about 5 lb).

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My precious grandaughter helping.

I turned  all the fruit into Jam (11 Jars) & its divine. Even just the aroma of the jam boiling away was fabulous. I used to pick blackcurrants to earn pocket money as a young girl, so it all brought back pleasant memories to me.

~~~ Adding sugar to the preserving pan ~~~

~~~bubble, bubble...~~~

~~ Ta da, the finished product. ~~

This is my little cupboard I purchased from an antique shop.Its to store my preserves and jars etc. Today I made some gingham curtains (from a small tablecloth, cut in half) to keep the light of the jars. I thought it tuned out well, so decided to share the pictures.

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The original tablecloth only cost $2.00

The little storehouse is now full :)

We have Tomato Relish, Chow Chow Pickle, Zucchini Relish. Plum Sauce, Bread and Butter Pickles, Blackcurrant, Strawberry and Plum Jams, Bottled Pears and Plums, Chili Jelly, Marmalade and Bottled Beetroot..Yeh all finsihed for the summer :)

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I also wanted to share a recipe I've been making lately, its actually from a recipe book of Rosie Daley's and its called Unfried Chicken, a much healthier version of an old favourite. Its delicious cold too and perfect for a picnic. I've tweaked her recipe somewhat, so I'll give you my version :)

'Linda's Unfried Chicken'

12 pieces of chicken ( chicken drumsticks, wings etc)

1 egg

1 cup natural unsweetened plain yoghurt

1 cup dry breadcumbs

3/4 cup of plain flour

1/4 cup of seasoned chicken coating mix (anybrand) I use coat and cook

Spice Mix:

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper

Dash Cayenne

1/2 teaspoon each of dried Basil, Sage & Oregano

1/4 t chilli powder (optional)

1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice

Method:

1.  Remove the skin from the chicken pieces and soak the chicken in cold water for 20 minutes.

2.  Heat the oven to 180 C (fanbake).  Mix the spice mix into the flour, coat n cook, and

     breadcrumbs.

3.  Oil a large roasting dish.

4.  Mix the egg and yoghurt together. Pat the chicken dry and roll one piece at a time in the 

     yoghurt/egg mix, then in the coating mix until quite thickly coated. Work quickly as the mixture

     will soak up the yoghurt and soften.

5.  Place each piece on the oiled tray. Spray the chicken with spray oil and place in the hot oven.

6.  Cook without turning for 30 minutes, then turn carefully just once using a spatula. Cook for  30

     minutes more.The chicken should be browned and thoroughly cooked through at this stage.

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There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. 

~ Celia Thaxter ~

'God's work done in God's way, will never lack God's supply'

J. Hudson Taylor 1832 - 1905

*...In the Laundry Room...*

While I was surfing around facebook last week, I saw someone had posted a link to a Mother Earth News site, advertising a recipe for homemade Laundry Powder. It peaked my interest, so I followed it up and was excited how simple the recipe looked. Since then, I sourced the ingredients at a bulk foods store called Binn Inn in New Zealand and made a half batch of it.  I really didn't know what to expect, and must admit I was a little wary. I've purchased various brands of ECO Laundry powder/liquid over the years with varying results, but I must say I am very impressed with this new homemade one. For starters my bath towles come off the line very soft, even on a hot day, where normally if I havn't used fabric softener they would be a little stiff, before being folded. So anyways I am posting the link for the recipe (even though I'm writing it here on the blog), as they have other recipes for homemade dishwasher detergent etc too.

 http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-home-living/make-your-own-lavender-laundry-detergent-for-pennies.aspx

 

The Article:               

According to our grandmothers’ wisdom (and verified on thenewhomemaker.com), Monday is Wash Day. After Sunday’s day of rest, homemakers traditionally took on one of the week’s most difficult tasks: the laundry. Whether you’re disciplined enough to schedule your laundry days or you just do a load or two when you’ve run out of socks and underwear, the following recipe for simple washing powderwill make the task more fun. This laundry detergent is simple to make, saves you money and smells heavenly.

Simple Washing Powder

16 cups baking soda
12 cups borax
8 cups grated castile or glycerin soap flakes* (I used Lux Flakes)
3 tablespoons lavender, lemon or grapefruit essential oil

Combine baking soda, borax and soap flakes. Add essential oil and mix with a wire whisk. Use 1⁄8 cup per load.
Yield: This recipe makes enough powder to last a family of four one year.

NOte: It makes a very large quantity, so I just made half initially, to try it out. I use 2 tablespoons per load.  suppose quantity may vary depending on the size of your machine. I noted down the date I started using it, to see how economical it is too :)

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~ The Sewing Corner ~

As sunmmer comes to a close I start to turn to all those sewing projects awaiting my attention. I purchased some fabric a while back and finally got around to making some pants for my little grand-daugter..I surfed the net to find a pattern and get ideas, then I made my own from paper. The pants turned out quite well...here's a pic:

Demin with a frill at the bottom

....and then I got on and finally made a little curtain for the bathroom, that I'd been talking about for a long time.Its made out of a lovely floaty soft fabric called Mull..pure cotten, and a slightly thicker version of muslin.

..and close up of the little trim I put at the botton, pale blue, like the bathroom :)

..and last but not least. My daughter Katie and I love visiting second hand stores looking for bargains, and this summer I found two fabulous pairs of shoes..the pink ones havn't been worn and the red ones are so cool (made in Italy)..total cost for both pairs = $4.00 :)

side view of the pink ones, such a lovely soft shade and so dainty :)

So thats all from me for a while....there's still a lot to do in the garden, and I need to get to work on other projects, such as the Folk Art wall hanging..God Bless you all.

~ To live a life of virtue, you have to become consistent, even when it isn't convenient, comfortable, or easy. ~ (Epicetus)

All Things Beautiful 2008 - Misty Edwards

Just Before...

Just before…

There’s something magical about the moment ‘just before’ that always grabs at my heart.

This morning as I was working out, and listening to Misty Edwards beautiful voice these thoughts came to me….

The moment just before a wave breaks, as it builds, rolls and then crumbles, in a thundering crescendo.

The moment just before I break through in worship....and have that intimate encounter with the Lord...I feel it building...the anticipation

  

The moment before a flower opens, its bud so tightly furled, only revealing a little of the beauty contained within. Then slowly it  unfolds and I get a glimpse of something amazing about to happen.

The moment before the leaves fall from a tree in Autumn.  Such a symphony of colour displayed before my eyes. A palette of reds, yellows and deep oranges.  I almost take the beauty of it all for granted, then before I know it, I realise I was actually  living  in that moment of ‘just before’, as the leaves one by one start to fall and the stillness of winter arrives once again.

..and finally the most beautiful -  the moment just before a soul gives their heart to God. God has witnessed the struggle, the misconceptions of the world, then the moment finally comes…the revelation comes to the heart, the eyes are opened and the soul steps forward, and into the arms of LOVE that waited there all along.  What must that moment  be like for God, who sees and knows?

There’s nothing quite like that 'just before moment’…I’m sure we each have many of them stored in our memories and in our hearts.
Just wanted to share this thought. Blessings to anyone who reads this J

Hi friends, I'm sorry I havn't posted a blog in a long while, I've just been very busy with Christmas and family visiting etc, and the garden, but I plan on sitting down in a few days time and putting a little update together. May God Bless you all richly this new year. (Linda) x

 

The Choice of Life or Death Deuteronomy 30:11-20

¹¹ “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach. ¹² It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ ¹³ It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’ ¹⁴ No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.
¹⁵ “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. ¹⁶ For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.
¹⁷ “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, ¹⁸ then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
¹⁹ “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! ²⁰ You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Spring at the Homestead

Hi everyone, I know its been a while since my last post, but there's been all sorts of things going on with the family and the garden and I havn't had enough time to sit and attend to this post...however I was taking pictures in preparation :) I havn't been spending as much time on the internet either, instead spending more time with God, my family, the garden and home.

 Homemaking is a fulltime job in itself, let alone any other work we may do as woman. I always find there's a list of things to be done, and with the onset of warmer weather, the list continues to grow !!
Some tasks I've been doing:
1. Weedeating the property - a much easier way to keep up with the weeds, with a large garden.
2. Removing cobwebs from ceilings and corners - almost a fulltime task in an old villa, with tall ceilings.
3. Sweeping leaves off verandah's and washing them down.
4. Preparing garden beds with compost, manure etc.
5. Sewing seeds: Buttercup Pumpkin, Zucchini, Cherry Tomato, Corn, Cos Lettuce, Basil, Cosmos, Sunflowers, Echinacea, Sweet Pea and Hollyhocks.
6. Still to do - Oil the outdoor furniture. Some years I give it a light sand, and restain it too.

I believe its a worthy task to create a warm welcoming space -  a restfull home and garden for family and friends to enjoy.
Last year, I had a builder build a large new pantry for the kitchen, and when it was complete, he asked if their was any other work needing doing. I said their certainly was, but I didn't have the money to do any more renovations right now. He said 'thats a shame, this is my favourite home to come to, it has a lovely feeling about it, its peaceful'. I took that as a wonderful compliment, because thats exactly what I wanted to create. Things we 'consciously do' and surround with prayer, have a lasting effect and make a differnece to others. Nothing we ever do in love, is wasted.

"There is a magic in that little word 'HOME'; it is a mystic circle that surrounds

and virtues never known beyond its hallowed limites."

Robert Southey - English Poet (1774-1843)

SPRING in New Zealand

I love spring, its just so exciting, the garden wakes up...

...the bareness of winter is replaced by buds, magnolia blooms, daffodils and lambs in the fields.

I've been 'spring cleaning' too, washing linens  and clearing out wardrobes/bookshelves and giving all the excess away to second hand stores.

If you think you need a bigger wardrobe, or a new bookcase, you probably don't, you just need a clean out. The old saying 'one mans waste is another mans treasure is so true'. Where I live, once a year, they have this roadside collection, where you can put all manner of things you don't want out on the footpath, and people can just come by and take it. Let me tell you, nothing stays out there for long  !!, once we even put an old threadbare couch and it was snapped up within minutes..I couldn't believe it. :)

~ Radish seedlings ~

So these past months have seen me busy in the garden, preparing the vegetable boxes, with compost, sheep manure and blood and bone.

I've also dug up a whole new garden, for corn, tomatoes and courgettes, because I found I just needed more garden.

I  aquired some old tyres, which I'm going to plant pumpkins and stake peas in - using the layered lasagna style (Ruth Stout method) of no dig gardening. Here's a link on utube to it:
http://youtu.be/Tt-KHUITId8

~ Ruth Stout in her garden (in her younger years ~

Quote: 'Being in the garden gives me a profound feeling

of inner peace' (and I can say Me too!!).

Its probably the one place I connect mostly with God. If I have stress or worries, 10 minutes out there doing a little weeding and I forget what it was that was troubling me. Its truly a great blessing from God to have a garden.

~ Me in the garden ~ 2009

~ A self seeded Foxglove in the garden from previous years, so cottagey and pretty. ~

I think this summer's garden will be the largest ever !!. Big enough for the 2 of us, some to preserve and plenty to share with friends. I've sown more of my own seeds this year, which is exciting, as normally I buy all the plants.

~ Buttercup Pumpkin seedlings ~

I cut up an old yoghurt container to make little stick type labels for the seedlings.

~ Cherry tomato seedlings ~

Seeds are cheaper and theirs always plenty of plants to share with others and some left over to plant later on, or even the following year.

I've been saving seeds too, such as sunflowers, kale, lettuce etc. Last summer I let a butter crunch lettuce get huge and go to seed, its since produced masses of plants..very exciting :)

The berries are planted along this fence line, blackcurrants, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. I've also transplanted about 50 other strawberry plants and placed them as edging plants around flower gardens.

~ strawberry plants just starting to flower ~

Some Hierloom tomato plants I purchased. I'll plant them out at the start of November.
several differnt varieities, Amish Paste and Bloody Butcher.

"Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle,  a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream."

-Barbara Winkler

~ Our grapevine - pic taken last summer.~

 A friend advised I prune some of the bunches of grapes off, to encourage bigger bunches in those that remain and a faster ripening time. I'll try that this year...buds are only now appearing on the vines :)

Bruce helps in the garden with the more heavy duty jobs and last weekend saw him doing a lot of clearing. This property was a bit of an overgrown jungle when we purchsed it almost 5 years ago, but now its looking completely tranformed. He removed some old unwanted trees and split all the wood and then dug large holes to plant the fruit trees.

(split wood in the background and this lovely newly planted 'Winter Nellis' Pear Tree)

So far we've planted 2 Pear trees, a Fruiting Cherry,

a Peach tree last year, a Plum tree (yellow sweet flesh and dark red skin) and I've ordered 2 apple trees (1 x Cox's orange pippin - a nice crunchy sweet eating apple and Granny Smith, a wonderful apple for pies and preserving. I can't wait for the day the trees are laden :)

 I've also ordered an Apricot tree, but that won't be ready until August next year. Its a good variety for preserving, which is what I wanted.There was a lemon tree and a Feijoa when we arrived here, and I planted a small orange tree. I'd still like to remove one very large tree, and that will make room for 2 avocado's, more citrus - another orange and a mandarin tree, and maybe a nut tree..

A few weeks ago I made some Sweet Orange Marmalade, because oranges were cheap at the time and plentifull. Its so delicious. I hadn't made any in quite a few years and I'd forgotten how lovely it was. I don't like to use grapefruit in my marmalade, as I find it too bitter.

Family Things:

Our middle son Louis moved home for about 6 weeks (just while he was in between houses and moving to a new town), and what a wonderful time that was. I went into full mother hen mode and baked my little socks off , think I gained a few pounds  lol, but it was worth it. :) Then we had Katie and our little grandbaby Lily come and stay for a week. Lily is walking now and very inquisitive about everything !!, I forgot how busy little ones are :)

I bought a new rocking chair a while back and she loved it...made my heart sing.

Here's a pic of Melissa and little Flint, our grandson :)

Here's a few foodie things I've been making lately. I try to be quite economical with cooking, and normally make most things from scratch, bread, baking, pastry etc. I do buy things like hummus sometimes, but homemade is generally nicer and doesn't have any preservatives, so that makes it superior in my books. You can cook the chickpeas from scratch, all they need is soaking overnight in cold water and then boiling the next day for about 45 minutes. Just freeze excess beans. Latley Ive been using a can of chickpeas, mainly because this quanitity makes just enough to last a while. Its a wonderful thing to be able to pick Lemons of your own tree and one I never take for granted. I grew up in the South Island, way down, in Dunedin/Mosgiel and we couldn't grow lemons there, as it was too cold.

~ Homemade Hummus ~

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas (drained)

2 cloves of garlic

Soya sauce

1 Tablespoon dark tahini paste

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch of ground chili

Juice of 1 lemon

1 T olive oil

Salt to taste

Drain the chickpeas, but don't rinse. Add all ingredients to the blender 

and whizz until smooth. Place in a bowl or jar, cover and store in the refrigerator.
Variation: Add a little chopped sun dried tomato.

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A beautifull Magnolia bloom from my garden. I love these flowers so much and plan on painting some of them. I ahve my easel set up in my little Amish room, and painted over 2 pictures I no longer wanted with a base coat, but havn't had the chance to do anything more for now...

a beautifull Camelia ...I took this pic when I was out walking one day.

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sweet 'Honesty' - self seeded and growing wild all over the garden around by the trees

Clematis flowering along the verandah..beautifull every year.

Bruce and I went to St Mary's gala. I loved seeing the little shetland Ponies. They had free rides for children in a little wagon, the ponies were towing.

Another dip I make fairly often is my 'Asparagus and Parmesan Dip' This one is probably best eaten on the day its made, but will keep for up to 5 days.

Ingredients

1 can of asparagus pieces (not tips)

1 x ripe avocado/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

1 T Olive oil

1 Tablesoon lemon juice

season with salt

Add all ingredients to the blender and process until smooth.

 Store in the refrigerator.

 Nice with sliced cusumbers and carrot or celery sticks. Light and refreshing.

and now for a couple of sweet things. I used to make this chocolate rough slice a lot when my children were at school, it was a good one for the lunch boxes. 



Chocolate Rough Slice

Ingredients

80 grams butter (3/4 of a stick)

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup sugar

1 Cup plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon Cocoa powder

Topping

1 Cup Icing Sugar

1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder

2 Tablesoons butter

 1Cup coconut

Cream the butter and suag, add flour, coconut and cocoa. Mix well and press into a medium size tin. The base should be about 1 centimetre thick. bake in a  moderate oven for 20 minutes (not on fan bake).

Prepare the topping once the base is just out of the oven.

Put all the topping ingredients in a saucepan and melt over a gentle heat, stirring often. Add up to 2 Tablespoons of milk to ensure its a spreading consistency. Beat well. Spread over the warm base and clice when cold.

My Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Katie requested this recipe)

Ingredients

125g butter (1 stick)

1 cup brown sugar

1./2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vailla essence

2  Cups plain flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 Teablespoons good quality cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups of chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts - optional

Method:

 Preheat oven to 170 C. Line trays with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugars. Add vanilla, and eggs one at a time, beat until fluffy between each egg.

Add sifted flour, salt and soda. Sprinkle over the oats. Set the mixer to low and beat gebntly until combined. Place dessertspoon fulls on trays, leaving a good gap for spreading. Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on whether you like them crisper or fudgy :)

..and now for something savoury.....a little recipe I created the other week :)

Quick and Easy Slow Cooker Pork Chops

Ingredients

6 good size Pork Chops

1 x Can of Pineapple Rings in their own juice

2 Tablesoons Kikoman Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

Salt and Black pepper

1/4 Cup white wine (optional)

Fresh Thyme

2 Onions - sliced

Olive oil

Method

Turn the slow cooker on to Low.

Heat some olive oil and brown the pork chops on both sides. Set aside.

Fry the onions in the same pan, until lightly browned. Place in the base of the slow cooker. put the pork chops on top of them.

Deglaze the pan with the wine and scape up any bits from the pan. pour over the chops.

Add all remaining ingredients. Place the lid on the cooker, and cook for about 6 hours.

I served this with steamed pumpkin, and greens. Enjoy.

Here's some favourite music I've been enjoying listening to lately: 'The Peasall Sisters' They have quite a few songs on utube: The song 'Home to you' http://youtu.be/0KIF7xMBgBc
Here's a link to their site.
http://www.peacehall.org/
and I love Misty Edwards: http://youtu.be/IJ8pu_OHz2Y
and I also love the West Girls: http://youtu.be/HrnPWXXh-uM

and a little clip of their home: http://youtu.be/8pepb9R3Ozk

They are woman after my own heart. I love the same things they do,living a simple organic life, gardening, homemaking, dressing feminine, loving my family and serving God.

Her's a link to a little intro clip from their 'Homestead Blessings Series '
http://youtu.be/SgC0EwDgokA

of The West Girls talking about healing plants: I grow a lot of herbs, and use them in cooking and also for medicinal purposes.

Another lady I really like is Tasha Tudor. What a legacy she left, of a peaceful life, an enjoyment of simple things and beautfull childrens books.

~ “There is no peace that cannot be found in the present moment.” ~

(Tasha Tudor)   

Here's a link to a documentary about her life and garden. Its in Japenese, but you can still see her and her lovely garden and home :)

http://youtu.be/9zU-15to8d4

Well thats all from me for now. The next blog will be about some of my favourite things, purchases etc from second hand/antique stores and what I'm working on in the sewing department...God Bless you all - Linda :)